HAL completes helicopter order to Indian Coast Guard
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has delivered the last of 16 ‘Dhruv’ Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) to the Indian Coast Guard
The company handed over the final ALH helicopter at an event attended by Coast Guard Director General Virender Singh Pathania, as well as other officials from the Coast Guard, HAL and Ministry of Defence.
S Anbuvelan, CEO (Helicopter Complex) at HAL, confirmed that the delivery had been made on time despite a number of challenges, including the integration of new systems sourced from foreign manufacturers, conducting flight trials for certifications, and overcoming supply chain disruption due to lockdowns.
The original order for 16 MK III ALH helicopters was placed in March 2017. At the event, Pathania announced that the Coast Guard had issued a letter of intent for a further nine helicopters of this type.
A similar ALH helicopter was delivered to the Mauritius Police Force in late April, supplied under a lease from the Indian government.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca was a Junior Editor at the Voyageur Group. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.